There's Still Stars
by Maiden of the Forests
Summary: At the heart of the Time War, the War Doctor meets an unexpected stranger who saves his life in more ways than one.


_**Author's Note: **__I made myself cry. Good job, me. _

* * *

The man who had once been the Doctor stood among the destruction, watching as flashes of war painted the sky above him.

Gun clutched at his side, he heard the cries of his people, the searing of canons. The ruins at his side had once been a great mansion; now, the walls were slashed with black, the windows shattered, the family who had once lived there long dead, their bodies lost among the rubble.

"Take me." His grip loosened on the gun, his voice shook. "Take me now." Any minute now, the endless army of daleks would blast what remained of this house to smithereens, and him with it.

He didn't care.

He welcomed it.

What life was there outside of the ruins of Gallifrey, the ruins of his home?

He released the gun, letting it fall to the ground with a muted clatter, and spread out his arms to the sky. Waiting. Willing the blast to come.

"Watch out!" The scream ripped through the air and he whirled. A small form slammed into him and arms closed around him, throwing him sideways as fire seared the air, walls crumbled, the ground shook. He crumpled onto the stone street, heat blistering his arm and side, a weight pressing on his chest.

He struggled to breathe, struggled to see the sky above him.

The weight lifted and he sat up with sudden momentum, turning to see a young woman rolling to the ground at his side, blood smeared across her face. She coughed and drew in a gasping, gurgling breath, one arm laying limp on the pavement, her white top painted red. She was slight, brown hair wavy but caked with dirt, large brown eyes staring almost unseeingly into the sky.

He knelt beside her, cupping her face in his hands. The fire that had been the old mansion sent red shadows across them.

He had seen enough death. He should just leave her.

He nudged her face toward his, searching her eyes for some sign of life. She blinked once, gasped, and her eyes focused on his. She raised a dirt-and-blood-smeared hand, touched his cheek, and let it drop.

"There's still…stars." She gasped out the words. "Still…stars…up there. Do you see them?"

He frowned. Had she got a nasty concussion? They hadn't been able to properly see the stars in months, the skies obscured by the fire of war.

"Come on," he said gruffly, wrapping an arm around her. "Let's get you to medical. What was your name again?"

"It's…no good." She coughed, flecks of blood spattering the pavement. "I'm…I'm going to…it's Oswin. I'm Oswin." Her eyes met his, and for a moment they flashed. "I saved your life. Don't you dare die on me."

Addled again. "It's you who'll die if you don't let me—"

"No!" She gripped his arm, fingers digging into his blood-stained sleeve, bringing him to his knees again. "No…you…remember the stars." The clarity of her gaze startled him. "You're going to make it worth it. You're going to live, and you're going to run, and you're never going to…to stop. Run. Run you clever boy, and remember me."

She coughed again, and her grip loosened, her hand falling to the pavement. A blank sheen came over those sharp brown eyes, and her head slumped backward, hitting the pavement with a crunch.

"No! No, no, no." Hand shaking, he felt for a heartbeat, even just one. Nothing. Nothing. He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her, his breath closing in on itself.

She was gone.

He slumped forward across her small form. So much death. He had seen so much. And she was so young.

Why hadn't it been him?

He stood, slowly, raising his face to the sky. Flashes smeared the vast expanse, bombs and canons and guns and fighters, dying, and for what reason? So people like her would die, and people like him would live? The flaming mansion beckoned him. He could die here among the flames, die with the woman who had saved his life, and never see war again.

_Don't you dare die on me. _

_You're going to make it worth it. _

Between the blood-red flashes, a single star shone like a silver point in the darkness.

_There's still stars. _

Perhaps she hadn't been so addled after all.

And turning, he left the ruins behind.

* * *

_The End _


End file.
